I'm not ready to tip the name of the magician yet, but later this year I'll be publishing a project of material by one of the most famous close-up magicians in the last quarter of the 20th century. He published some during his lifetime, but nearly enough, and he died prematurely.

This is not something publicly mentioned before, so it will be a complete surprise for everyone.

If we're playing the guessing game, I'll guess Michael Skinner. Definitely famous among magicians, didn't publish much and was only 51 when he died. Plus, he had a huge repertoire, so there's got to be stuff that hasn't seen the light of day.

I think I have this figured out. But - if I'm right, then maybe I shouldn't ruin the surprise. I hope I am right since I would love to see more work from this creator.

Maybe Kaufman can PM me if he wants me to keep quiet?

If I am on the right track then the following should makes sense to Richard. The second to last letter of his surname was spelled with an 'e'. Yet - I often often saw it incorrectly spelled with an 'i'.

Anyway - I could be completely wrong. If I am I will name the guy I have in mind.

I like Ian's idea -- in fact I'm sure some wag could cobble together some Vernon footage/audio where he makes various criticisms. This could be an app -- Vernon humiliates you. You would play it as you worked on a trick.